Mitsubishi Reviews

It’s not uncommon to find unused electrical connectors inside the cabin and engine bay of modern cars. You may find, for instance, that your car is a mid-spec model with electrical adjustment of the front seats (which explains the two connectors that are wired up). But further up the range, there’s a more expensive model with, say, heated front seats that yours doesn’t have. But the wiring loom is the same in both versions of the car, so the connector for the heated seats is present in your car, but has nothing to connect to. If that’s the case, then this is very unlikely to cause a starting problem.

However, a lot of modern cars also position their computers under the seat, inside the cabin. If somebody has removed the seats or fiddled about down there and either dislodged or not reconnected a plug for the computer, then this could definitely cause all sorts of running and starting issues. If you’re still in doubt, most workshops should be able to identify what the connector is and whether it needs to be reconnected or simply left alone.

No, by adding that much oil, you’ll almost certainly be overfilling the engine which is no good for it at all. It’s a fair bet that an engine that needed an extra seven litres of oil added has already blown up. Which means you can ignore the numbers; they’re probably a part number or batch number.

What you’re looking for are two holes at the very end of the dipstick. The oil level should be between those holes. For whatever reason, Mitsubishi used holes in the dipstick rather than a high and low mark stamped into it. But it works just the same. Keep the oil level between those holes and you’ll be fine.

Changing the starter motor on this model is a bit tricky as the transverse engine locates the starter on the side of the engine, down low and sandwiched between the engine and firewall. You may need to remove some other brackets, wiring and plumbing to gain proper access, but the starter can be removed with the manifolds in place. It just takes some fiddling and patience.

Replacement is the opposite of removal (as they say in the best workshop manuals) but it’s critical to make sure the wiring goes back in the right order or you’ll fry the new starter. Taking a photo of the starter’s location and wiring before you start to pull it all apart is often a wise move as you can use the image for reference later on.

This is typically not a difficult job, but due to the cramped engine bay of this make and model, maybe it’s not a great first project for the home mechanic.